09 August 2007

It Pays to Be Optimistic

Exploring the connections between optimism and business success

by Jennifer Robison
Post A Comment
After an exhaustive study, two researchers came to this conclusion: Optimism is essential to being an effective leader. Without it, they discovered, "there is no hope, no reason to stretch, and no belief that an organization can rally to achieve its vision." Find out more about their compelling and actionable research.
Jennifer Robison is a Senior Editor for the Gallup Management Journal.
The content you are attempting to access is for subscribers to the Gallup Management Journal. You can subscribe by choosing the GMJ as one of your subscription selections under My Account. If you are already a subscriber,please log in.
Log In
Subscribe
Reader Comments
Charles Fleeman Posted On 9/17/2007 10:23:40 AM

It's been my long experience in the workplace that managers are optimistic about the views of their superiors and pessimistic about the views of their underlings. There's a "survival" element to that situation. I've seen cautious people regarded highly in business management, but never a pessimist. Too much optimism at the executive level can lead to delusion, and delusion often leads to failure. Optimism needs a touch of realism. My work in organizational communication incorporates the "unconditional positive regard" idea of Carl Rogers, which is a kind of optimism that I describe as automatic respect for others.

Report This Comment as Offensive
Please Login to Comment
Register or Login to add comment
Comments Usage Policy
Subscribe to GMJ
  • Print this page
  • E-mail to a friend
  • Share
  • Message to the Author
  • Sign Up for Newsletter
See also
A Positive Approach to Workplace Stress
The Business Benefits of Positive Leadership
The Business Case for Instilling Hope
Hope, Optimism, and Other Business Assets

Gallup Summit Spring 2010

The Gallup Summit Spring 2010 provides leaders with the opportunity to learn best practices and discuss the crucial issues that affect maximizing performance in their organizations. It also offers organizations the opportunity to benchmark their management practices against the world's best.

The Gallup Summit Spring 2010 will take place April 27-29, 2010, in Omaha, Nebraska. To learn more about the event or to register, visit the Gallup Summit Spring 2010 page on the Gallup Consulting Web site, or contact Mary Penner-Lovci (212.548.2940) or Krista Volzke (402.938.6001).

For a complete schedule of learning opportunities, visit the Gallup Learning Events page.

Popular Topics Business Customer Engagement Employee Engagement Innovation Leadership Organizational Performance Partnership Performance Management Wellbeing Workplace
Copyright ©2010 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2010 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
Gallup®, A8™, Business Impact Analysis™, CE11®, Clifton StrengthsFinder®, the 34 Clifton StrengthsFinder theme names, Customer Engagement Index™, Drop Club®, Emotional Economy™, Employee Engagement Index™, Employee Outlook Index™, Follow This Path™, Gallup Brain®, Gallup Consulting®, Gallup Management Journal®, GMJ®, Gallup Press®, Gallup Publishing™, Gallup Tuesday Briefing®, Gallup University®, HumanSigma®, I10™, L3™, PrincipalInsight™, Q12®, SE25™, SF34®, SRI®, Strengths Spotlight™, Strengths-Based Selling™, StrengthsCoach™, StrengthsFinder®, StrengthsQuest™, TeacherInsight™, The Gallup Path®, and The Gallup Poll® are trademarks of Gallup, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. These materials are provided for noncommercial, personal use only. Reproduction prohibited without the express permission of Gallup, Inc.